Elevator systems

ABSTRACT

In an elevator system a predetermined number of priority down floor calls prevents an elevator from answering an up floor call for a floor above the highest floor for which a car call is registered in the elevator. If a first car assigned to a floor call is traveling up through an express zone when a second car becomes available in a more advantageous position the assignment is transfered to the latter car. A car may be parked at a floor above the express zone. Scanning for an available car for a call above an express zone starts in a high zone.

United States Patent inventors John Suozzo; [56] I References Cited A l N {lazy C. Savino, both of Hackensack, NJ. UNITED STATES PATENTS pp o. Filed Jan. 1970 I 3,378,107 4/1968 Madison 187/29 Division of Ser. No. 452,216, Apr. 30, 1965, Primary Examiner-0m Radek Pat, N ,'3,519,104 Assistant Examiner-W. E. Duncanson, Jr. Patented Oct. 5, 1971 AttorneysA. T. Stratton and C. L. Freedman Assignee Westinghouse Electric Corporation Pittsburgh, Pa.

ABSTRACT: ln an elevator system a predetermined number of priority down floor calls prevents an elevator from answering an up floor call for a floor above the highest floor for which a car call is registered in the elevator. If a first car assigned to a floor call is traveling up through an express zone when a second car becomes available in a more advantageous r position the assignment is transfered to the latter car. A car US. Cl 187/29 R ma be arked at a floor above the express zone. Scannin for Y P g B66b 1/22 an available car for a call above an express zone starts in a Field of Search 187/29 high zone.

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PATENTEDUCT 5:97: I $610,370

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PATENTEDUBT SIS?! 7 3,610,370 sum 120F16' y rsn BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to transportation systems, and it has particular relation to transportation systems wherein a plurality of vehicles are arranged in a structure to operate as a bank.

2. Description of the Prior Art Expressions such as traffic demand," service demand" and traffic condition herein are employed to designate traffic pictures which may be utilized for specified control purposes; As is pointed out below, such trafiic demands or conditions may include calls for transportation service registered by call means, loading of transportation cars, car stoppings, direct functions or rate functions.

A transportation system may-be designated for attendant operation or for automatic operatiomln attendant operation, an attendant located in each of the vehicles is available for supervising the loading of his vehicle, the unloading of the vehicle and the dispatch of the vehicle from a landing. Although aspects of the invention may be incorporated in transportation systems employing either a single vehicle or a number of vehicles arranged in a bank, and although aspects of the invention may be incorporated in systems arranged either for automatic operation or attendant operation, the entire invention is particularly suitable for and may be considered adequately with reference to a bank of elevator cars arranged for automatic operation. For this reason, the following discussion will be directed primarily to such an elevator system.

In a bank of elevator cars-arranged for automatic operation, the cars may operate principally between two terminal landings or floors, which consist generally of an upper terminal floor and a lower terminal such as a main, street or first floor. A plurality of intermediate landings or floors are located between the two terminal floors. Additionally, one or more of the elevator cars in the bank may serve a top extension or penthouse floor. Finally, certain or all of the cars also may provide service for a lower extension floor, such as a basement floor. However, the invention is applicable to a system having no extension floor.

The invention is particularly applicable to a system of the type shown in our patent application Ser. No. 310,991, filed Sept. 24, 1963, herein referred to as the reference patent application. The system serves a structure whose floors above the lower terminal floor are divided into a plurality of separate up and down zones. Each of these zones may compriseeither one floor or a plurality of adjacent floors, depending upon factors such as the total number-of floors served by the system, the number of elevator cars in the system, special trafiic conditions which may be encountered at a particular floor or group of floors and the quantity and cost of equipment required. It will be understood that the number of down zones need not necessarily equal the number of up zones and that the same floor or floors need not necessarily be included in both a particular down zone and a particular up zone.

In such a system, the registration of afioor call for elevator service may be accompanied by the registration of a demand for service for the zone in which the corresponding floor is located. In response to a zone demand for service, an available elevator car is assigned to serve the zone for which each floor call is registered which resulted in the registration of the zone service demand. If a plurality of cars at different locations are available for this purpose, only that one of such cars is selected which is in the best position to render the desired ser-' SUMMARY or THE INVENTION False registration of calls for elevator service interfere with orderly response of an elevator system to legitimate calls for elevator service. Thus intending passengers desirous of traveling down from intermediate floors of a building may register calls for up service. to stop up-traveling cars. This practice slows service in the down direction. The invention minimizes response to such false calls.

Also the system may be arranged to encourage the presence of a predetermined minimum number of cars, if available, at a predetermined floor as continuously as possible. This facilitates trafiic movement from a busy floor.

If an available first car on a first side of a long express zone is assigned to a service zone on.a secondside of the express zone a substantial time, possibly longer than 20 seconds, may be required for transit through the express zone. In accordance with the invention, if a more advantageously located second car becomes available while the first car is an the express zone the assignment is transferred to'the second car.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION 'OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Although aspects of the invention maybe incorporated in an elevator system having any desired number of elevator cars, arranged either for attendant operation or for automatic operation to serve any desired number of floors, the invention may be described adequately with reference to an elevator system arranged for fully automatic operation and serving a building or structure having six principal floors and a top extension or seventh floor. For this reason, the illustration and description of the invention will be directed particularly to such a system. Furthermore, a system comprising a bank of three elevator cars willsuffice for the discussion of certain aspects of the invention, while other features thereof may be more clearly explained by reference to a system having four cars. In addition, for illustrative purposes the second through sixth floors served; by the elevator system normally will be divided into first, second and third down zones, while the intermediate or second through fifth floors will be divided into low and high up zones. The first down zone comprises the second and third floors, thesecond down zone includes the fourth and fifth floors and the third down zone comprisesthe sixth floor. The low up zone includes the second and third floors and the high up zone comprises the fourth and fifth floors.

The elevator cars of the system, three or four as the case may be, are designated by the reference characters A, B, C and D. It will be assumed for present purposes that only the cars A and C are capable of serving the'top extension or seventh floor, while each of the remaining or six principal floors may be served by every car in the'system.

Inasmuch as certain circuits for each of the elevator c'ars generally are similar, circuits for the elevator cars A and B are shown in substantial detail, and components for the elevator cars C and D are introduced as required for the discussion. In-

of such figures. FIGS. 7 through and 17 in general illustrate circuits which are common to all of the elevatorcars.

The equipment and control circuits for the elevator cars A, B, C and D include many similar components. For this reason, components for the cars B, C and D which are similar to a corresponding component for the elevator car A are identified by the reference character employed for the car A component preceded by the prefixes B, C and D, respectively. For example, associated with the elevator cars A, B, C and D are the next car relays N, BN, CN and DN. For these reference characters, the prefixes B, C and D indicate that the relays BN, CN and DN are associated, respectively, with the elevator cars B, C and D.

Electromagnetic switches and relays employed in the control circuits may have numerous contacts of either or both of two types. One type may be referred to as back or break contacts. Such contacts are closed when the associated switch or relay is deenergized and dropped out. The contacts are opened when the associated switch or relay is energized and picked up. The second type of contacts may be referred to as front or make contacts. Such contacts are opened when the associated switch or relay is deenergized and dropped out. These contacts are closed when the associated switch or relay is energized and picked up. The relays and switches in the accompanying schematic views are illustrated in their deenergized and dropped out conditions.

Each set of contacts of a relay or switch is designated by the reference character employed for the relay or switch, followed by a suitable numeral specific to the set of contacts. For example, the reference characters U1 and U6 designate, respectively, the first and sixth sets of contacts associated with the up switch U of the elevator car A. I

In order to simplify the presentation of the invention, the present description will be based on the system of our abovementioned reference patent application with modifications suitable for incorporating our present invention.

Certain apparatus common to our aforesaid patent application and the present patent application is listed below. The only difference are that for certain of the relays and switches, contacts are added for the present patent application. These additions will be apparent from the latter discussion.

Apparatus for Elevator Car A D Down Switch DC Door-Close solenoid DCA Down call above relay DEP Down decelerating inductor plates DFP Down stopping inductor plates DO Door-open solenoid DS Door relay E Inductor slowdown relay F inductor stopping relay FA Down call assigned relay FCR Demand response relay F R Available car relay F RS Auxiliary available car relay F U Up call assigned relay FUH High up zone assigned relay G Holding relay HLC High zone low floor relay KA Assigned zone stepping switch KB Down zone call below relay KF Convention floor loading relay KFI Convention floor timing relay LB Detector relay LS Load switch LW Load relay M Running relay MGS Manually Operable switch N Next car relay ND Notching relay P Parking relay PX Spotting loading relay RA First auxiliary running relay S Floor call stopping relay SH Down zone assigned relay SS Start relay ST Assigned zone stopping relay T Car call stopping relay TDC Priority zone stopping relay U-Upswitch Y I UEP Up decelerating inductor plates UFP Up stopping inductor plates V Speed relay W Up reference relay X Down reference relay ZC Convention floor position relay Z0, Z1, ZlA, Z2, Z3 Zone position relays 1C through 7C Car call push buttons lCR through 7CR Car call registering relays l0 Rope l l Counterweight l2 Sheave l4 Direct-current motor 15 Floor selector l6 Direct-current generator 17 Induction motor 185 Brake coil 38R Car call above relay 42 Auxiliary door-control relay 45 Door-control relay 50 Motor-generator starting relay 69H High call reversal relay 69L Low call reversal relay 70T Noninterference relay 78D Up call below relay 78U Up call above relay 80 Second auxiliary running relay 139 Motor-generator shutdown relay 981 Lower terminal no-start relay Apparatus Common to all Cars AH Master high up zone assigned relay AHC Highest down call relay AL Low up zone assigned relay DT Down bypass timing relay DU Up zone demand relay DUL Low up zone demand relay DUH High up zone demand relay FRM Master available car relay FSH High zone stepping switch FSL Low zone stepping switch FZM Master zone relay FZT Zone resetting relay F20, F21, FZlA, F22, FZZA, F23 Zone relays FOC, FlC, F lCA, F2C, F 2CA, F3C Assigned zone relays H Motor-generator running relay KBH High zone demand relay KBL Low zone demand relay KH High up zone call relay KHT High up zone timing relay KL Low up zone call relay KLT Low up zone timing relay KMT Down zone priority relay K0, K1, KIA, K2, K2A, K3 Down zone demand registering relays KIT, KlTA, K2T, K2TA, K3T Down zone timing relays L1, L2 Direct-current buses LNT Absence timing relay MCA Master down call above relay MFB Lower terminal surplus car relay MFC Multiple available car relay MG Motor-generator timing relay MKF Master convention floor loading relay MN Master next car relay MX Master down preference relay MZO Master car position relay NDH Intense up peak relay NDR No demand return relay" NFT Loading relay NL Lonely car relay PD Instant dispatch relay PM Spotting interrupting relay PR Spotting resetting relay PRS Spotting stepping switch P2 through P6 Floor spotting relays RNS No scan relay RY Spotting resumption relay SC Down demand midpoint relay SCR Pulsing relay SCT Firing relay SFB Lower terminal nonnext relay SHN High zone no selection relay SLN Low zone no selection relay SP Spotting transfer relay SZ Down demand midpoint stepping switch SZR Scan relay TZ Zone transfer relay UHT First loading interval relay UT Second loading interval relay YI Spotting interrupting timing relay ZD Down zone demand relay ZlU Low up zone position relay Z2U High up zone position relay 1U through 6U Up floor-call pushbuttons 2D through 7D Down floor-call push buttons 3BP, SBP Passing relays lUR through 6UR Up floor call' registering relays 2DR through 7DR Down floor call registering relays 69P Closest car relay 77D Down bypass relay 77U Up bypass relay 911R Clearance relay 982 Master lower terminal relay In addition to the foregoing apparatus, certain relays common to both patent applications conveniently may be listed separately as follows, since they do not, strictly speaking, fall within either of the above categories.

DH High zone demand relay DHX High zone down relay DL Low zone demand relay DLX Low zone down relay FOH Assigned zone relay HLC and CHLC High zone low floor relays BLLC and DLLC Low zone high floor relays KR Lower terminal extension demand relay RD Extension floor demand relay TES Extension car scanning relay TEU Extension car up relay ZR Extension floor position relay Since many similar components are employed in the apparatus and control circuits for the elevator cars A, B, C and D, the description of the apparatus and control circuits will be directed primarily to those associated with the car A. With the notation employed, similar components employed for the other elevator cars readily may be traced. Where different components are employed for certain of the elevator cars, these different components will be discussed as required.

The following apparatus is specific tothe present patent application:

Apparatus for Car A AXP Express zone position relay CAS Cam operated switch PA Special parking relay RE Express zone selectable car relay XI-I Service zone relay XP Express zone relay Apparatus Common to all Cars AE Car away relay AVM Main floor available car relay DCU Master dispatch relay NDRT 7 Auxiliary timing relay QNDR Main floor expediting relay Q39 Plural MG relay SD Special demand relay SDT Timing relay UAV Away available car relay UCO Down wait quota relay XPD Express down relay 2F R Double availability relay 3F R Treble availability relay FIGS. 3, I3 and 14 are identical to FIGS. 3, l3 and 14 respectively of our aforesaid reference patent application. I

FIG.,l is similar to FIG. 1 of our above-mentioned reference patent application except for the addition of a switch CAS which is closed when the car A is near the upper end of an express zone, and a switch XPS which isclosed while the car A is in the express zone. Similar switches are shown for the car B.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 2 of our aforesaid patent reference application except for the addition of break contacts UC01 and UC02 of down waitquota relay UCO, and break contacts PA2 of a special parking relay PA. When the contacts UCOI are open they' prevent energization of the floor call stopping relay S in response to registered up floor calls. The contacts UCO2, when open, similarly prevent energization of the floor call stopping relay BS.

When the contacts PAZ are open they prevent energization of the stopping relay S through an alternate circuit. Similar contacts BPA2 are added for the car B.

FIG. 4 differs from FIG. 4 of our aforesaid reference patent application by the addition of make contacts UC03 and UC04 of the. down wait relay UCO. lfthe contacts UC03 are closed, the available car relay FR can be energized when though the contacts 981-1, 7 8U3 and FR3 are all open. The contacts UC04 are associated similarly with the available car relay BFR.

FIG. 4 also differs from FIG. 4 of our aforesaid reference patent application by the provision of make contacts AXPl which are closed when the car A is adjacent the upper end of an express zone. The contacts AXP] are connected through a manually operated switch MSWl to establish an alternate path of energization for the available car relay FR. Similar components are provided for the car B. For present purposes the switches MSW L and MSW2 are assumed to be open.

FIG. 4 further differs from FIG. 4 of our aforesaid reference patent application by the provision of break contacts XPl of an express zone relay XP. These contacts are in series with the down call assigned relay FA and are open while the car A is in an express zone. The contacts XPl are shunted by make contacts XHl of a service zone relay XH. These contacts XHl are closed when the car A reaches a predetermined distance from the end of an expresszone. The contacts XPl also are shunted by a manually operated switch MSW2 which is assumed to be closed for the present. Similar components are provided for the car B.

Finally, FIG. 4 differs from FIG. 4 of our aforesaid reference patent application by providing additional contacts FCR6 and DCUl and a manually operated switch MSW3. When the contacts 42-2 are closed, an alternate energizing circuit for the first auxiliary running relay RA is provided which includes in series the make contacts FCR6 of the demand response relay FCR, the manually operated switch MSW3 and the make contacts DCU] of a master dispatch relay DCU. The contacts DCU! close when the relay DCU dispatches available cars from the main floor in a manner to be discussed below. Similar components are provided for the car B. For present purposes the switches MSW3 and BMSW3 are assumed to be open.

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 5 of our aforesaid patent reference application except that a set of make contacts QNDRI in series with a set ofmake contacts FR32 are shunted across the made contacts DI-I2 in the circuit for the down call above relay DCA.- The make contacts QNDRl of the main floorex- 

1. In a transportation system, a structure having a plurality of spaced landings, transportation means comprising a transport vehicle, means mounting said vehicle for movement relative to the structure in a path extending adjacent each of said landings, motive means for moving said vehicle relative to the structure, and control means cooperating with the motive means to move said vehicle relative to the structure and to stop said vehicle at a selected landing, said control means comprising first call registering means for each of said landings operable for registering a call for service from the associated landing in a first direction of travel along said path, second call registering means for each of said landings operable for registering a call for service from the associated landing in a second direction of travel along said path, and third call registering means operable from said vehicle for registering a call for each of the landings at which the vehicle is to be stopped, separate priority-designating means for each of said first call registering means, each of said priority-designating means being responsive to a call registered by the first call registering means and to a predetermined condition for operation from a first to a second condition, first means responsive to registration of a call by one of the first call registering means for causing the vehicle to stop at the landing of the last-named call registering means, here termed a designated landing, second means responsive to operation to its second condition of the priority-designating means for the designated landing for expediting movement of the vehicle to said designated landing, and third means responsive to a predetermined demand for travel in said first direction for further expediting movement of the vehicle to the designated landing.
 2. A transportation system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said transportation means comprises a plurality of transport vehicles, means mounting each of said vehicles for movement relative to the structure in a path extending adjacent each of said landings, motive means for moving each of said vehicles relative to the structure, and control means cooperating with the motive means to move each of said vehicles relative to the structure and to stop each of said vehicles at a selected landing, said control means comprising first call registering means for each of said landings operable for registering a call for service from the associated landing in a first direction of travel along said path, second call registering means for each of said landings operable for registering a call for service from the associated landing in a second direction of travel along said path, and third call registering means for each of said vehicles, each of said third call registering means being operable from the associated one of the vehicles for registering a call for each of the landings at which the associated vehicle is to be stopped, said first means being responsive to registration of a call by one of the first call registering means for causing one of the vehicles to stop at said designated landing, said second means being responsive to operation to its second condition of the priority-designating means for the designated landing for expediting movement of one of the vehicles to said designated landing, and said third means being responsive to a predetermined demand for travel in said first direction for further expediting movement of one of the vehicles to the designated landing.
 3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said second means is effective for assigning one of said vehicles to proceed to said designated landing while bypassing any landing for which the second call registering means is operated provided the third call registering means for any landing is not operated, and said third means being effective for assigning one of said vehicles to proceed to said designated landing while bypassing any landing for which the second call registering means is operated if the third call registering means in the last-named vehicle is operated for any landing.
 4. An elevator system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said landings are vertically spaced, said first direction being the down direction, said second direction being the up direction, each of said designating means being responsive to registration of a call by the associated first call registering means for a predetermined time for operation from said first to said second condition to depict a priority landing, said second means comprising expediting means responsive to operation of said designating means for a landing to assign one of the elevator cars traveling up without registered calls therefor by the third call registering means to ignore a call registered by the second call registering means for a floor approached by such car, said expediting means permitting the last-named car to answer a call registered by the second call registering means for a floor approached by such car if traveling up with a call registered by the third call registering means for such car for a floor ahead, and second expediting means responsive to a predetermined demand for down service for assigning a car traveling up with a call registered by the third call registering means for such car, to ignore a call registered by the second call registering means for a floor approached by such car.
 5. A system as claimed in claim 4 in combination with assigning means responsive to operation of said designating means for a floor to assign one of the elevator cars when available to stop at the last-named floor, said second expediting means when responding to said predetermined demand for down service being effective for making an up traveling elevator car with a registered call by the third call registering means become available for said assigning means following the answering by the elevator car of its last registered call by the third call registering means regardless of the presence of a call registered by the second call registering means for a floor ahead of the last-named car.
 6. In a transportation system, a structure having a plurality of spaced landings, said landings being divided into landing zones each including at least one of the landings, a plurality of transport vehicles, means mounting each Of said vehicles for movement relative to the structure in a path extending adjacent each of said landings, separate motive means for moving each of said vehicles relative to the structure and to stop each of said vehicles at a selected landing, each of said vehicles being available under predetermined conditions for assignment to any one of said landing zones requiring service, and control means cooperating with the motive means for controlling movements of said vehicles, said control means comprising assigning means responsive to traffic conditions for assigning an available one of said vehicles to a selected one of the landing zones, said assigning means being effective under predetermined conditions for assigning an available one of the vehicles in a first area to proceed to a landing zone in a second area requiring service provided that none of the vehicles is available in said second area, said assigning means being responsive to one of said vehicles becoming available in said second area while said assigned one of the vehicles is proceeding towards said second area for transferring said assignment to the vehicle which becomes available in said second area.
 7. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said control means includes means rendering the first assigned one of said vehicles available for reassignment as it reaches a predetermined distance in advance of said second area.
 8. A system as claimed in claim 7 wherein said control means includes means for stopping and making available the last-named vehicle at the first landing it reaches in said second area provided that it is not reassigned before reaching stopping distance from such first landing.
 9. A transportation system as claimed in claim 6 wherein two of said landings are spaced by a distance greater than that between others of said landings to constitute an express zone, said assigning means being effective under predetermined conditions for assigning an available one of the vehicles on a first side of the express zone to proceed to a landing zone on a second side of the express zone requiring service provided that none of the vehicles is available on said second side, said assigning means being responsive to entry of said assigned vehicle into said express zone for cancelling the assignment of such vehicle, means responsive to arrival of the last-named vehicle to within a predetermined distance of said second side for restoring said assignment provided that the conditions requiring such assignment are still present, said assigning means being responsive to one of said vehicles becoming available on said second side while the assignment of the first assigned vehicle is cancelled, for assigning the available one of said vehicles on said second side to said zone requiring service.
 10. In a transportation system, a structure having a plurality of spaced landings, said landings being divided into landing zones each including at least one of the landings, a plurality of transport vehicles, means mounting each of said vehicles for movement relative to the structure in a path extending adjacent each of said landings, separate motive means for moving each of said vehicles relative to the structure and for stopping each of said vehicles at a selected landing, each of said vehicles being available under predetermined conditions for assignment to any one of said landing zones requiring service, and control means cooperating with the motive means for controlling movements of said vehicles, said control means comprising parking means responsive to presence of one of the vehicles at one of the landings in a first area of the structure in the available state under predetermined conditions for parking said last-named vehicle at one of the landings in a second area of the structure, two of said landings being spaced by a distance greater than that between others of said landings to constitute an express zone, said parking means being responsive to presence of one of the vehicles on a first side of the express zone under predetermined conditions for parking said last-named vehicle at one of the landings on the second side of the express zone.
 11. A system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said parking means, in response to presence of a plurality of the vehicles on the first side of the express zone, parks on the second side of such express zone a number of such vehicles which depends on a function of the number of vehicles on said first side, the number of vehicles on said second side, and the traffic conditions.
 12. In a transportation system, a structure, a main landing, and a plurality of spaced landings on one side of said main landing, said landings being divided into landing zones each including at least one landing, a plurality of transport vehicles, means mounting each of said vehicles for movement relative to the structure in a path extending adjacent each of said landings, separate motive means for moving each of said vehicles relative to the structure and to stop each of said vehicles at a selected landing, each of said vehicles being available under predetermined conditions for assignment to any one of said landing zones, and control means cooperating with said motive means for controlling movements of said vehicles, said control means comprising assigning means responsive to a demand for service from any of the landings on said one side for assigning one of said vehicles in available state to the zone containing such landing, said assigning means including scanning means for scanning possible vehicle locations starting with the one of said spaced landings having the greatest displacement from the main landing and proceeding towards the main landing to select for assignment the first available vehicle reached during such operation of the scanning means.
 13. A transportation system as claimed in claim 12 wherein said structure has an express zone, said main landing being on a first side of said express zone, and a plurality of spaced landings on a second side of said express zone, said express zone having an extent substantially larger than the distance between successive pairs of said spaced landings, said assigning means being responsive to traffic conditions when several of said vehicles are available for assignment for assigning an available one of said vehicles to a selected one of the landing zones.
 14. A system as claimed in claim 11 wherein said parking means is responsive to the presence of two of the vehicles on the first side of the express zone in available condition, the presence of one of the vehicles traveling through the express zone toward the first side of the express zone and the absence of any available one of the vehicles on the second side of the express zone for dispatching one of said two vehicles on the first side of the express zone towards the second side of the express zone.
 15. A system as claimed in claim 14 wherein said parking means is responsive to the presence of vehicles available in excess of a first predetermined number on the first side of the express zone for dispatching all of said last-named vehicles in excess of a second predetermined number which is less than the first predetermined number through said express zone. 